I'm Still Here
by TaylorAndEllie
Summary: The death of Princess Peach had shaken the Smashers to emotion, all except Roy. But now fate is blessing Roy with the ghost of the dead princess and to solve the, apparent, murder of Peach. But it's hard when a ghost is falling in love with you...
1. Prologue

_**I'm Still Here…**_

_**The death of Princess Peach had shaken the Smashers to emotion, all except Roy. But now fate is blessing Roy with the ghost of the dead princess and to solve the, apparent, murder of Peach. But it's hard when a ghost is falling in love with you...**_

_**Prologue**_

_It was a beautiful funeral. He would admit that. _

_Cream and pale pink tapestries hung on the arches of the church, pink carnations and white roses in pots were dotted around the room as a long red strip of carpet led up to the coffin. From what he could see, the coffin was white with ribbons and flowers decorating the sides. The sun rays shone through the glass windows, basking the white coffin in a pool of sparkling light._

_The whole church was full. Pews were all occupied with people he knew, crying softly into handkerchiefs, kneeling down and praying or simply looking ahead, lifeless. He wasn't any of them. He didn't feel as…connected. He didn't know her as well as everyone else did but she still spoke to him, treating him the same as she did with everyone in Smash Mansion. That's what he envied the most, her unbelievable kindness. _

_A slow, peaceful, lullaby-like tune emitted from the piano as the church, all dressed normally instead of black, stood. As the hymn began a loud sob echoed through the church followed by the sound of the church doors creaking open._

_He glanced behind. _

_A girl dressed in a bright, orange ball gown clutching a pink handkerchief staggered out the door, consoled by a sniffling Princess Zelda. He turned back around when the doors gently shut as did the rest of the ceremony, continuing to sing the lullaby softly._

_The minister held up his hand as the ceremony prayed. He stole a glance to the front of the pews. He saw the King, Mario and Luigi clasping there hands together, tears gently streaming down the Mario Bros. cheeks. Toads, yoshis and other members of the Mushroom Kingdom all knelt down at the coffin. He suddenly felt his chest tighten with unsuspecting guilt. _

_Once the prayer finished, the doors of the church opened. Daisy and Zelda returned, followed by Nana, Popo, Ness and Lucas with cages. He squinted his eyes to see what was inside but could only see bits of white,_

"_As a dedication to the late Princess, we will set these birds free, a re-enactment of her spirit." Nana announced, her voice shaking. _

_Lucas, Ness and Popo suddenly pulled open the cage doors. The air was suddenly filled with gasps and comments of amazement. A sudden flurry of flapping white exploded into the blue landscape above. The doves whirled around each other creating a beautiful dance in the sky. The birds soon spread out, dispersing into couples that disappeared into the clouds above. _

_He heard Daisy sniff loudly as she began to sob again. The bird-senders saluted to the sky and walked back to their seats, Nana now crying softly. _

_He glanced back to the front. Mario hadn't moved. Instead, he stared at the coffin his cheeks red with tears. He felt Marth breathe deeply in then out next to him as he stared ahead, sorrow covered his face._

_The ceremony finished. _

_The Royal Mushroom Kingdom Band playing one last song as friends and family of the deceased left flowers and gifts in her coffin then left the church. He wandered, as if lost, up to the coffin. He was one of the last there. The King and Mario were the only others left. Mario clutched his hat between his fingernails mercilessly, fighting back tears. The King gently laid a small kiss on her forehead, stroked a strand of pale blonde hair away from her face and walked away, his eyes not moving from the floor. Mario glanced at him, confused as to why he was still here. The plumber shrugged and glanced back, pure pain drenched his eyes. He sat his red hat down on the Princess' hands. With one final glance at him, Mario left; his shoulders hung and head down._

_He glanced back at her. Her hair was frayed out beneath her like a blonde pillow, her gloved fingers laced together and eyes closed. He couldn't help but think she looked like a wax doll. _

_He looked at his empty hands. _

_He took a deep breath and bowed down to the coffin, _

"_Goodbye Princess." He murmured._

"Roy…" he opened his crusty eyes, groaning,

Roy." The voice repeated, with more force. The swordsman rubbed his eyes, feeling something cold and hard against his side,

"Roy, what are you doing here? The ceremony ended hours ago…" Roy frowned as two blue figures danced about before staying still. He blinked, glancing around.

He was in the church,

"What happened?" He mumbled as he made out a blurry Marth and a fuzzy Samus behind him,

"You must've fallen asleep after all that punch." Samus leaned in patting him on the shoulder. Roy continued blinking dumbly as he began to stand up. He reached out his hand and feet something cold. He looked to the side and saw the white coffin.

Then, it all came back to him.

Long, white candelabras where lit, the flames flickering every now and then, reflecting off the stain glass windows. He glanced back to Marth and Samus both looking at him concerned,

"Are you alright?" asked Marth raising a dark brow, light bouncing off his face. Roy nodded, closing his eyes sleepily,

"Yeah, just need some sleep…" he grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. Marth nodded in agreement,

"I'll go back and check on the party." Samus announced and jogged out the church, heels clicking. Roy suddenly smiled,

"Sam suits a dress…" he stated dumbly as they made their down the aisle to the church doors. Marth grinned,

"Yes, indeed." Marth chuckled but stopped once seeing Roy's lost face. The prince frowned,

"What's wrong?"

Roy shook his head softly, "I shouldn't have been there…" he mumbled, staring back at the coffin. He heard Marth sigh softly,

"Roy, what happened, happened. We can't change fate's path." He said quietly. Roy's eyes flickered downwards to his feet,

"I know but…..she was so young," his face creased, "It was all so unexpected! I didn't even know her that well!"

Marth nodded solemnly, "I know, Roy. Neither did I but Zelda insisted we should come."

They pushed opened the doors. Roy stole a glance backwards to the coffin and candles,

"It doesn't feel right." He announced, finally exiting the church. He saw Marth nod,

"It never does when this happens….especially with…" Roy saw Marth's eyes become pained, as if remembering something. The prince then shook his head, abandoning his thoughts. Roy smiled weakly,

"Come on then. We're missing the party!" Roy cheered as he began to jogging down to Toad Town Hall. Marth followed, the church doors shutting, echoing through the room.

**Yes, I is back!!**

**This story was originally going to be posted up in Fictionpress but I decided to write something for FanFiction since I've been such a lazy bum here!**

**This story WILL contain RoyXPeach and some other pairings (check my profile to see which ones). I hope you guys will still keep on reading this, despite the pairings, I mean, it's not like they're making out 24/7 XD**

**Anyhoo, PLEEEASE drop me a review, desperate to know what you guys think ;)**

**-Ellie**


	2. The After Party

_**I'm Still Here…**_

_**Chapter 1: The After Party**_

Toad Town Hall was alive with hustle and bustle. Everyone had changed from their normal clothes (or funeral clothes) into more of a formal getup. Balloons and glitter covered the floor, a long strand of hot pink ribbon was draped across the crystal chandelier, a large banner saying 'Princess Peach' was spread across the far-side wall along with pictures of the princess young and old. Lights flashed different colors as a sea of people stood on the wooden floor, chatting but with grim looks on their faces.

Roy wandered through the sea of people, wondering where Link was. He had lost Marth at the entrance. Roy guessed he was with Samus. He continued dodging past dancing toads and smashers to a bench at the end of the room. Link was standing over a crying figure, wearing a black suit by the looks of it,

"Link!" Roy shouted over the chatter of the crowd. Link glanced behind then gave a small tilt of the mouth noticing it was Roy. A sudden loud sob came from behind Link causing a crowd of people to glance at the corner, frowning with confusion. Roy tipped to the side to see a tearful Zelda crunched up on the bench, still in her 'normal' dress. Roy glanced at Link worried,

"I know. She's been like that for hours," Link wrapped an arm around the princess, "She won't stop."

"She won't stop crying?" Roy repeated, his brows creasing sympathetically. Seeing her cry so loudly made him feel….guilty. Her hair had already fallen out of its usual neat plait, now lying lifelessly down her back. Her dress was crinkled, her gloves wet with tears. Her head slowly rose, shaking,

"Why were we crying?" she choked out, giggling, "We should've been smiling…and laughing!"

Link's ocean eyes bulged open as she shouted. More people stared at the princess bewildered by her strange behavior,

"Being dead sucks!" she bellowed, her eyes puffy and red with tears. Roy and Link looked at each other, exchanging nervous glances. Zelda then began panting, as if struggling to breathe. Link, naturally, was first to act,

"We need a doctor! Where's Mario?" he shouted out to the crowd. The crowd didn't budge. Instead, they stared at the princess who was now howling Mario's name over and over again, tears racing down her blotchy cheeks,

"I need you Mario! Marioooo!" Zelda continued howling while Roy pushed past Link to the deranged princess,

"Zelda? Zelda, can you hear me?" Zelda looked at him frowning. Her eyes seemed to have changed into a lighter shade and her voice was changing to a higher. Samus and Marth arrived at the scene,

"What's going on?" Samus asked, raising a brow at Zelda, "Who's been feeding her punch?"

Link shook his head furiously, his head filled with worry,

"No, no it's not that….she just went crazy!" he shouted. The crowd was panicking; searching for either a doctor or the Mario Bros. Toad left the group and dashed off to get a paramedic. Roy turned to Marth,

"Marth, where's Mario?"

"He went back to the hotel…." His voice suddenly got lost when he saw Zelda breathing raggedly, crouched on the floor. The siren from the ambulance blared into the hall. Roy and Link each flung one of Zelda's arms over their shoulders and dragged her to the entrance where an ambulance was waiting. Zelda suddenly jerked, wriggling about,

"I'm not going! I will not die!" she screamed, her eyes now a light, baby blue shade. Not the usual dark blue. Link let go of her and grabbed her shoulders, ignoring the staring sea of people,

"Zelda, don't say that! What's wrong?" he said firmly, shaking her shoulders lightly.

Something strange then happened.

Zelda suddenly shook her head, slithering out of Roy's arms, like liquid, and slouched onto the floor. Her eyes now returned to a scarily dark blue, boring into the wooden floor. She clutched onto Roy,

"She's coming back." She whispered hoarsely.

At that moment Roy, strangely, knew no one else heard that.

Paramedics were all over Zelda and the crowd had exploded into gossip and cries of worry, it was too loud for them to hear. But Roy heard it loud and clear. The swordsman stared after the stretcher carrying the princess away,

"I don't understand," mumbled Link, scratching his head, "she was fine before."

The rest of the group didn't answer. The party had now grown quiet, the music stopping completely.

Toon Link wandered over to Link, staring at the ambulance confused,

"Where's Zelda going?" he asked as Nana joined him in a candy pink dress. Link sighed,

"They're taking her to the hospital, I'm guessing she's a bit too upset for the party right now…" Toon Link nodded slowly, understanding. He returned his gaze back to the ambulance now rolling down the hill towards the nearest hospital. Samus stepped forward,

"I think that's enough for tonight. Link, you can stay at the hospital and travel back to the hotel with Zelda." Link nodded and ran off out the hall. Nana frowned,

"But the party's just begun!" she whined. Samus glowered down at her,

"Zelda just got taken away in an ambulance…I think we should head back to the hotel." Samus strode over to the stage, announcing the end of the party. Marth frowned weakly,

"Sam…Sam!" he called but the huntress ignored him. He turned to a sad Nana and crouched down so he was at her height,

"I'm sorry Nana…" he murmured. He was too short for words that day to say more. Nana nodded, her eyes clouding over with disappointment.

Roy sighed tiredly as he undid his tie and threw it onto the bed. After Zelda was taken away to hospital, the after-party had turned into a complete flop. The organizers agreed with Samus, and decided to end the party early since everybody was too shaken about the event.

* * *

The hotel room was small but painted a bright yellow colour and furnished with…..happy furniture, hand-made by the citizens of Toad Town. Roy unbuttoned his suit jacket and laid it over the back of a chair. He began starting on his shirt until her heard a giggle. He froze, frowning,

"Hello..?" he said, turning around.

Nothing.

He shrugged, considering it his imagination. He returned to his shirt, until another giggle emitted from the air followed by a rustle like furniture moving. Roy swung around, eyes narrow,

"Alright Toon, jokes over. Get back to bed." He said firmly. His face fell when he realized nobody was there. Roy ran into the bathroom, shoved the door open and jumped in. The swordsman frowned deeply, nobody there either. Roy returned to the bedroom, suspicion arousing. He wandered to bed-side table, continuing to unbutton his shirt. He picked up the alarm-clock, pressing buttons to fix a suitable waking-up time,

"I'm still here, y'know." An echoing voice sniggered, slicing the silence like a knife through butter. The alarm clock suddenly fell from his hands.

_Smash!_

Roy swung around for the second time, but this time he met something.

His heart seemed to leap and break-dance in his chest.

A glowing figure stood before him, feet floating off the ground. The figure seemed to be softly glowing a soft white and was transparent. It took a while before all the information was filed into his head so he stood there, looking like a dumbstruck idiot. The figure huffed, hands on hips,

"Well aren't you gonna say something?" the figure asked sneakily, smirking.

Roy didn't.

Instead, he began to breathe fast and deeply, his heart continued banging out of his chest, his eyes wide like blue orbs. He raised a shaky finger at the glowing object,

"G-ghost!" he whispered loudly. He stumbled backwards, knocking other items off the bed-side table. The figure dropped to the ground and stopped glowing. Its appearance seemed to be clearer as if it were a real human…with out the see-through-ness,

"Oh my god…" Roy murmured shakily. Their appearance was now much clearer. The blonde hair, pink dress and big blue eyes, Roy thought he could faint,

"P-princess Peach?" he hissed, blinking and rubbing his eyes several times until they stung. The ghostly form, now Peach, rolled her eyes and frowned,

"Yes it's me, now could just get the shock thing over with…..you're creeping me out." She said briskly, eyeing Roy suspiciously. Roy shook his head, gripping his hair,

"Okay Roy, calm down. It's just a trick…ooor you've had too much punch. Yeah, too much punch…." But Roy didn't believe that. It was real. The ghost of the recently dead Princess Peach was real. He stared at the see-through princess, shock shooting through his shaking body. Peach frowned softly, concerned at the now pale-as-a-piece-of-paper Roy,

"Roy…what's wrong? It's alright, I'm not gonna hurt you."

Roy let out a yell as she carefully stepped towards him. He dived to the side, onto the bed then, unexpectedly, off the bed to the other side with a dull 'thud'. The princess frowned and rushed towards Roy,

"Oh dear, are you alright?" she said softly.

The scared swordsman gave out another shout seeing the ghost coming towards him. He leaped up and ran into the on-suite, slamming the door shut. Once in, he pressed his body onto the wall and slid down to the ground, his heavy breathing echoing through the spotless bathroom,

"Roy…?" her voice sounded clearer….as if beside him. His head shot to the side. Peach's translucent body was half in the bathroom and half in the other room, her head tilted into the bathroom. Roy could only blink at the scene,

"It's okay Roy, I'm not gonna-,"

"Stay away from me!" he roared at the ghost. He scrambled to the sink counter, pressing his back against it. If he had his sword, he would use it. Peach sighed.

"You should be dead!" he exclaimed shakily. The princess rolled her eyes, a grin appearing on her clear features,

"Well gee, does it not look like it to you? I'm a freaking ghost, I _am_ dead!" she snapped, her usually sweet voice now dripping with sarcasm…..and strangely echoing. Roy's breathed deeper, his brows furrowing slowly,

"What do you want?" he shouted, rubbing his arm. His fear had now increased. Peach floated downwards to the tiled floor, her hells not making a sound. A confused look on her face plastered her face,

"What do you mean?" she asked, tilting her head. The swordsman shook his head, pointing a shaky finger,

"You know what I mean, don't lie! You're supposed to be dead! This is all some sick joke I know it! And when I find who did this I'll-,"

"I'm not a joke!" she choked out; her ghostly image flickered back and forth from a deep black to her transparent….image. Roy frowned, "I need your help…"

Roy's face fell slightly. The room was silent. Peach sat on the toilet, her hands cupping her cheeks, eyes to the tiled floor,

"Help for what?" Roy said warily, still shaking. Peach's eyes gently glanced up to him, glistening with something,

"I was murdered." She murmured hoarsely. There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Roy's eyes blinked then narrowed,

"Murdered?" he said slowly, not quite following. Peach only nodded, her baby blue eyes blank with emotion. Suddenly he shook his head, "No, no way! A ghost is telling me that they were murdered. I'm dreaming."

He walked out of the bathroom, towards the bed,

"No, no Roy. Please, this is real. I need your help…" the princess begged, her eyes all dewy. Roy didn't turn around instead he made his way out of his room. He heard Peach shout after him but he ignored it.

He was scared, scared so much that he could feel his bones shiver, blood freeze and his back grow cold like a frozen fingertip dragging down his spine. He found himself running down the hotel hallway, past all the smashers' rooms. He came to a dead end, with a table and a single white rose placed in a glass jar on top. He swung round to see Peach at the other end. She stood there, still, staring back at Roy,

"Please help me Roy…." Although she was far away, her voice was clear as if she was close. Roy squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head,

"Go away!" he shouted his voice shaking with fear. Suddenly, a new voice entered the scene,

"Roy?" The swordsman's head clicked to the side and saw a tired looking Fox in his room doorway (dressed in Buzz Light-year PJs), staring blankly at Roy,

"Its 2 am. What the hell are you doing?" Roy looked back to the end of the hallway, to check but he was wrong. She was still there. He glanced back at Fox, pointing at the end of the hallway,

"Can't you see her? She's there, right there!" Roy didn't know he sounded like a mindless idiot but Fox did. The pilot leaned out from the doorway and peered to the end. His face fell into a scowl,

"I dunno what the hell you're on but I suggest you stop smokin' it. Get back to bed." Fox closed the door leaving Roy standing there, confused as hell. He glanced at the end of the hallway.

At that brief moment, his heart stopped.

Nothing, that's what he saw, absolutely nothing. She was gone. He ran to the other end but nothing changed. She was still gone. He stood there; ready to expect her appearing from nowhere.

But she didn't.

Roy slowly returned to his room. Once he shut the door he breathed out,

"Are you in here?" he called out. He didn't seem so scared anymore. He was certain it was Toon Link and his friends playing tricks again. But what a sick trick it would be. Or maybe someone had slipped something in his punch…again. Roy decided to go to bed, trying to forget the events that happened only a few minutes ago, discarding them as his imagination. Throwing the bed covers over, he got into bed, ignoring the fact that he still had his clothes on.

It was definite, today was not his day.

* * *

Toad Town Hospital was quite big, but empty. Only a few Beds were occupied with goombas, yoshis, toads and other dwellers of the kingdom. Link hadn't seen many hylians (or even humans) at all throughout his journey to the Mushroom Kingdom. He felt huge as a few toad people walked past his legs, dressed in long white coats and little white hats with solemn looks on their faces. He let his eyes follow to where the toads headed and ended up at a door. A garland of pink flowers was at the bottom and candles surrounded the door. It suddenly dawned on Link like a sea current as his stomach swirled. It was the Princess' room. The room they tried to save her in. The last room she was alive in.

Link wandered around feeling a lot more down than before. He'd been in such a rush to get here; he didn't know what to do now. A toad that looked like a nurse stopped at a counter with a clipboard, filing away papers,

"Excuse me; could you show me which ward her majesty, Princess Zelda is staying in?" The small purple and white toad smiled up at Link,

"Of course! We've been all over her!" she said, surprisingly, happily. She signaled Link to follow her and skipped down the deserted hallway. Link cautiously followed, staring at the back of the toads monstrously large head. She was relatively jolly…even when her monarch was dead?

They eventually stopped at the end of the long, so-shiny-you-could-see-your-face* laminated hallway. She gestured towards the door on the left,

"She's in there, a visitor's already in there but I'm sure the doctor won't mind." She gave a smile and skipped off leaving Link a little puzzled. A visitor, what visitor? He only just got here! Link gently opened the door, worried about what he was going to see inside. The door squeaked ajar. Link's eyes widened for a split second.

Zelda was lying on the bed, face pale and hands stuck to her side with plastic tubes sticking out them. But what shocked Link the most was a large hand clutching Zelda's. Link let his eyes follow up the arm and met a figure with blue hair and a torn red cape flowing from his neck. The green clad swordsman felt himself well up with curiosity…and jealousy,

"Ike?" he asked himself aloud. The swordsman shot upwards out of the chair, his hand shooting out of the princess' lifeless hand. The swordsman looked at Link, his eyes wide with shock. A side Link hadn't seen of Ike,

"What are you doing here?" Link asked, frowning. His eyes twitching between Zelda and the mercenary,

"I-I was just visiting!" he said quickly, shuffling nervously. Link blinked not quite believing what he was seeing: a nervous Ike but also why the mercenary was here, visiting Zelda, _his_ Zelda,

"Yeah, I can see that but why aren't you at the party?" Link asked, a blond eyebrow rising in suspicion. Ike eyes darted to the side,

"Yeah, well, I, uh, was just taking a walk round the hospital but then heard from some Toads round the back speaking about the Princess being here so I thought I'd pay a visit…" Ike pulled a sheepish smile, obviously hoping the Hylian swordsman would buy his excuse…..which was true….of course.

Link's eyes gently narrowed as he nodded slowly. He didn't entirely believe the mercenary's excuse. He let his eyes stray reluctantly past the bed-ridden princess to a white bed-side table. A jar of exotic, and not to mention colorful, flowers and a white box with a purple bow on top were placed near the side. Link frowned as he approached the gifts,

"Did you get these?" he asked Ike. The mercenary froze,

"……….No." he said slowly. Link rolled his eyes and glanced at the tag. Although inside he was bubbling with jealousy he couldn't help but smirk,

"Then why does this say _To My darling Zelda, Lots of Love Ike_…?" He turned to Ike. His eyes narrowed. The mercenary paused, dawdling,

"…Ike is a very popular name, y'know…" he grumbled sheepishly, a deep red blush appeared on his cheeks. Link shook his head sighing, feeling a little guilty for not getting his dear princess a gift. He slumped on a chair on the other side of Zelda. There was a long pause before Ike's blush gradually disappeared and spoke up,

"How's the party?" he asked, glancing upwards to meet the side of Link's face, the swordsman's face was locked onto Zelda's. Link shrugged,

"I think it's ended now….everyone's a little too upset to celebrate." He said gruffly, a mixed with emotions as he watched Zelda's face. His mind was withdrawn…too caught up in what's happened.

Ike slowly nodded, looking around the ward. There was another silence,

"Do you miss her?" Link asked abruptly, his eyes glancing briefly to Ike's. Ike shrugged,

"'course I do….everyone does. Even Bowser." His eyes became grave as he remembered the giant turtle howling when the news was announced, never had Ike seen a sight like it. Link nodded,

"Yeah….." he mumbled his mind casting off to the day when the princess left.

_The Stadium of Nintendo was alive with cheers and shouts. The VIP pod was filled with smashers eating, chatting and playing on the old arcade games. Link watched the battle, attached to the glass spying Diddy Kong and Ness carefully as the countdown decreased,_

"_**GO!!" **__Master Hand bellowed. Diddy Kong and Ness shot forwards towards each other. Ness threw an electrified punch while Diddy Kong rolled behind the boy, dodging the attack, and gave a few whip lashes with his tail. _

_The battle continued as the crowd gasped and celebrated loudly. _

_Link reluctantly let his eyes leave the battle platform to a pink figure in the distant that caught his eye. He peered to the other side of the stadium and saw the pink clad Princess Peach in the Royal Balcony. He smiled as he gave a wave to the princess. She gave a small wave and looked back down to the battle. Link frowned, usually expecting a wild wave and bright grin from the princess. _

_The swordsman shrugged, deciding not to delve into something that clearly was none of his business…she'd been acting odd the past few days anyway. Link returned to the battle._

_Ness had clobbered Diddy Kong with his bat, sending a loud _crack _sound through the stadium. The crowd gasped and roared with cheering as the chimp was soared through air. Diddy suddenly clutched onto the side of the platform causing Diddy fans to cheer and clap in encouragement. _

_Then that's when it happened…_

"_Hey, get of o' me!!!" a shout emitted from the corner of the stadium. _

_An ear piercing scream followed, silencing the stadium and echoing through the arena. _

_Link glanced quickly to the source as did Ness and Diddy Kong. The crowd gasped and screamed in horror as Link saw the pink clad figure soar down from the balcony to dark depths below. Ness ran to the side of the platform followed by Diddy Kong,_

_Gasps echoed around the room. Link shot from the glass then out of the VIP pod. He ran downstairs tripping as he went. He entered the ground floor and saw people sobbing and bending over the bars, looking down shocked. Link ran to the edge shouting downwards to the blackness. _

_There was a stomach stirring silence…_

_Link breathed heavily, glancing up to Royal Balcony. No one was there. Link frowned deeply, running a hand through his hair,_

"_PEACH!" Link's breath hitched as he recognized the agonized scream. Zelda had ran onto one of the balconies. Marth clutched onto her and pulled her backwards as she tried to bend over the bars to the darkness below. Link shouted over to Zelda to keep away from the side but she didn't seem to listen. Link dipped over the side again. His heart lurched as he saw a patch of pink on the ground. His eyes bulged open as his mouth turned dry. He saw the Mario Brothers run into the stadium while a whole army of paramedics and police evacuated the stadium and began to climb down the chasm side to the pit below…_

**

* * *

****Mwhaha, I will leave you with that!! :D**

**I know this chapter is a little rough around the edges (especially Peach's death…..t'was crap XD) but hopefully this….project, will improve my writing skills. And yeah I know...Zelda's a psycho XD...for now though and Ike's personality is a little different but there is a reason :P**

**I've been having a ton of new ideas for stories but I'm gonna leave it for now…I'm already stressed enough (got a hoooorrible cold PITY ME!! :P) . **

**So…PLEASE drop me a review, I'm just dying to know what you think ;)**


	3. Tea on the Bus

I'm Still Here…

_**Chapter 2: The Arrival**_

_White light._

_That's all he could see._

_Pure, eye-tingling white light. _

_It seemed to pour from every corner of his eyes into his sockets, making him rub them immediately. He gave out a soft groan as he felt his back feel a rough surface and a harsh breeze blew his face. His vision was fuzzed at first but eventually cleared as he opened his mouth and took a deep breath. He frowned at what he thought he saw. _

_He was in a field, filled with deep green pastures and shrubbery dotted here and there. The sky was a pastel blue with puffs of white clouds and he could see some sort of settlement not far in the distance. He covered his eyes as sunlight greeted him softly. Small hills rolled far away, reaching up to the peaceful sky, only interrupted with a few birds. As he surveyed the scene he began to recognize the place more and more._

_The conclusion hit him hard._

_He was in Lycia*, his home-country. Roy frowned. Was this a dream? He looked down and saw he was wearing what he just slept in: his half-unbuttoned white shirt (now crumpled and dirty) and his suit trousers. He looked further down and saw he only had his socks on. He sighed; it _was_ a dream, great._

_He stood there, unsure of what to do. If he began traveling then the chances were it was all an illusion but if he didn't and just waited for himself to wake up, he'd be standing there a long time. Roy breathed heavily through his mouth, blowing a soft raspberry. He kicked the dusty ground with his socked feet in boredom, waiting. He had dreams like this before, himself back home. But this time, it was a lot…quieter. _

_Too quiet._

_Suddenly, the sky gave a weak grumble as the clouds swirled into a deep grey shade. The wind picked up quickly as trees in the distance swished about. Soon, the wind was howling at his ears and blowing up through his shirt and into his skin. He swore he could hear the sharp, hissing of whispers as the dark clouds swirled faster and turned darker. _

_He felt his chest clench in fear. He glanced all around, looking for life._

_The wind screamed and thrashed. Roy could see trees being flung across the field. He didn't understand how he was still standing firmly on the ground…it was as if he wasn't really there._

_Roy began turning in a circle panicking, wishing to wake up. The whispers became louder,_

"_Lycia depends on you, help me." _

"_Roy…can you hear me?"_

"_Please help me, Roy"_

"_No!" Roy bellowed, squeezed his eye shut. Suddenly voices he recognized spiraled in his head. And the sound of wind and yelling were bursting through his ears, like a symphony of frightening sounds spun together in a blender. _

"Roy."

"_I need you Roy"_

"_NO! Please no!"_

"_I'm begging you please!"_

"_Please, Roy…."_

_A flash of light suddenly filled his sight, stunning him. He felt the ground greet his back roughly. The whispered turned into screams and laughs. He could hear smashes, crunches and the rush of wind in his ears. The light eventually dispersed but what was left terrified Roy. _

_It was as if his heart stopped beating. _

_The ground was stained with a charcoal colour. A large amount of trees had disappeared, the rest bare. The sky was still a betraying black and the wind laughed crazily in his ear. The whispers were now quite sobs and the laughing had dispersed. Roy looked around his breath becoming deeper and heavier. He looked over at the settlement._

_But it was gone._

_Everything was gone. He could only see the distance specks of rubble on the land. The whispering ceased. Roy grunted as his heart was pierced with shock._

_A question had been circling his head mechanically._

_What happened?_

_He gritted his teeth at the rough wind and took a deep shaking breath as he shook his head in turmoil,_

"_Hello!" he yelled, his voice shaking,_

"_Anyone!" he shouted to the now misty air, covering most of his site of Lycia._

_His home was gone. _

_This place was now empty, unknown to him. _

_He fell to his knees as confused tears pricked his clouded eyes. He let his knuckles clench in fury and despair at the ground. A sudden memory whispered into his empty ear._

'_Please help me….'_

"_Why me!" Roy growled furiously at her, his throat dry and coarse like the ground._

'_Roy….I need you. Please help me and I will help you…You're my only hope.'_

'Roy?"

"_How…?" he whispered, his sight blurring ever-so-slightly,_

"Roy!"

_Black clouds swarmed his eyesight as the vision of his ruined homeland dispersed,_

"_Fine…." He breathed out as blackness swallowed him._

* * *

"Hey, Link? You okay?" a voice asked from behind. Link flinched from his position and glanced behind his seat. He gave a weak smile,

"Yeah…just a bit tired, that's all." He said, shrugging. Marth gave him a nod and smile while returning to a discussion with (strangely) Captain Falcon.

They were supposed to have left Toad Town half an hour ago but due to Roy's sudden laziness, the journey had to wait for now. Link didn't mind too much though. Despite the fact that everywhere you looked, a toad was dressed in black or their usually cheerful round faces was covered in a dark veil. It was as if the whole town was covered in a black veil, mourning the lost of their dearest monarch.

The true reason why he didn't want to leave was returning to the Tournament. All the Smashers knew that it wouldn't be the same. There won't be as much participants and the police and other authorities will be waiting for them and inspecting the stadium and manor from top till bottom.

Link let his head flop against the cold glass, his mouth squashed against the cool surface. He let a sigh sneak out, the glass steaming up around his mouth. As he let his face mould onto the glass he averted his eyes to the figure in the front seat, just behind the driver. Zelda sat lifelessly in the brightly patterned bus seat, he couldn't see her face but he remembered her terrible state from the night before. He felt his heart soften painfully at the sight. Suddenly, his squashed eyes (and heart) narrowed as Ike returned to his seat next to the princess.

_His _princess, how many times did he have to repeat that!

Link grumbled grouchily as he looked away, an ember of anger continuing to flicker inside him.

He casually looked around the bus. Nana, Popo, Yoshi, Toon Link, Ness, Mr. Game and Watch and Lucas were quietly playing eye-spy, despite the fact that the bus wasn't moving and that Mr. G&W didn't actually speak English.

Ganondorf and Wario were sitting up the back. Ganon with his arms firmly folded, eyes to the floor while Wario was 'slyly' picking his large nose. Link looked away in disgust. He noticed that Bowser wasn't there. Or the Mario Bros. Link figured that they must have been staying in Toad Town for now. (Bowser was staying there with them? …Link decided not to pry) Meanwhile Donkey and Diddy Kong were traveling their own way (in other words, there was no room for Donkey Kong).

Link surveyed the bus more. Olimar (and lots of Pikmin), Red and all the pokemon out of the smashers were sitting near the front, the pokemon quieter than usual. In fact, the whole bus was quieter.

'_No wonder…_' Link thought.

Kirby was fast asleep in front, soft breaths emitting from the puffballs' mouth. Meta-Knight was behind Link, next to Marth. His eyes seemed to be closed. Link assumed he was meditating or something.

Meanwhile, Marth was deep in conversation not only with Captain Falcon but with Fox and Falco, all with grim looks on their faces. Link frowned. He had seen the prince talk with Fox before but hardly with Falco and Falcon.

He glanced to the side. Samus was sitting across from him, her icy blue eyes staring at the chair in front. Link expected her to suddenly bore a hole in the thing. The Hylian leaned forward and opened his mouth to wake Samus from her frightening state,

"Leave me alone." She sharply grumbled, her eyes not straying from the seat. Link simply blinked and looked away, deciding not to pry,

"Where the hell have you been?" was the clear voice from Ike. Link gave him a quick 'The Evils' then glanced at whom the mercenary was snapping at. A disheveled looking Roy slumped onto the bus, rubbing his dull, blue eyes. Link raised a brow as the redhead grumbled past. Samus glanced ahead too, raising a sharp eyebrow before returning to her stare battle with the seat, shaking her head while mumbling 'drunken idiot'.

Snake stepped onto the bus, passing instructions to the bus driver. He threw his cigarette** out the closing doors and walked down the alley. Unfortunately, Roy was moving slower today, his booted feet shuffling against the carpet floor, eyes set on the floor below. Link frowned deeper as the general shuffled past to the seat near the back, behind Samus, at the window. Link tried to get his attention but Samus sent him a hot glare towards his truly, which sent the Hylian turning around immediately.

The bus eventually coughed to a start and began rumbling down the paved roads of Toad Town.

* * *

Roy groaned as something jabbed repeatedly on his shoulder,

"Roy?" a young, soft voice mumbled. The general's eyes cracked open. A pair of big, brown eyes stared into his, watching him attentively. Roy fully opened his eyes, cracking a smile at Nana,

"Sorry…resting my eyes." Roy smiled. He scoffed mentally, he wished. Nana gave a hesitant smile,

"Everyone's just off for a pit stop. Marth says you can stay here if you like but we'll be a while."

Another creasing smile feathered across his lips,

"I think I'll stay here, no need to worry 'bout me, Nana." The pink-clad ice climber gave a quick nod and hurried off, jumping out of the bus with the usual '_boing!_' sound.

Roy sighed as he watched Nana join the others, all patting her head.

He sunk deeper into his chair. That dream…was nothing like he'd had before. All those other dreams he had off Lycia were, peaceful and calm, just like his homeland. But last night…. it was different. He stared out the window. They appeared to be in, well, the middle of nowhere. Long, dusty plains were the landscape, white clouds slowly rolling by in the cyan sky. Roy sighed, sinking further down his chair; he didn't want to return the tournament, no way,

"Y'know, if you slouch any more you'll be on the floor." A feminine voice suddenly stated, giggling. Roy felt his heart lurch so hard he could of puked. It was Peach, or the 'ghost' of her, sitting in the empty chair next to him. He suddenly threw his back at the window edging away from her,

"P-peach…. w-what are you doing here?" he shouted. The princess threw him an indignant look,

"Your _still _not used to me, are you?" she said, folding her arms. She suddenly smirked, leaning forward, "Are you _afraid_ of me?"

Roy's eyes widened, what kind of question was that? Of course he was! The dead princess of the Mushroom Kingdom was sitting right next to him, and he had seen her corpse just the day before.

Roy moved further away, his back pressing firmly against the bus window.

Peach seemed to be glowing as sunlight poured through the bus window, little sparks of light radiating from her. Roy tried to scramble even more away, dodging the miniscule orbs of light that floated towards him.

The blonde princess sighed softly, bending over to reach down to the floor, under the bus chair. Roy sat perfectly still, cautiously glancing at the princess. She then sat up breathing out, beaming a pleased smile. A small china cup and saucer sat between her gloved, translucent fingers. Roy look simply bewildered,

"W-where did you get that from…?" he mumbled, pointing accusingly as the innocent teacup. Peach blinked, tilting her head,

"What, this?" she said raising her cup. Roy nodded furiously. The princess gave sweet smile, giggling softly, "Oh, I always have this with me. I love my tea!"

Roy gave a bewildered look. Her voice still echoed, holding that mysterious aura. It was as if she was speaking from somewhere else.

_But this is her sitting in front of me…if a ghost counts that is…_

Roy continued to stare at her. Her hair blew about slowly, slightly translucent and pale in colour. She still wore the dress she wore the night before…. or at her funeral to be exact. A sudden gut feeling stirred inside as he remembered the night before.

'_I was …murdered."_

"U-uh…Peach?" he shuffled away from the window a few inches closer to the princess. He could feel the cool energy radiate from the ghost, cooling his shoulders. She stopped mid-sip of her tea and gave him a soft smile,

"Mhmm?"

"What did you mean…w-when you said you were…murdered?" he kicked himself for sounding so pathetically weak. It sounded far more clearly in his head, but that word…murdered, was a word he despised deeply. The princess glanced downwards to her teacup; her eyes glazed with an emotion Roy had never seen the princess show,

"It is the truth…I was murdered. I know I was." She gazed at him, her light, blue eyes holding such sincerity and seriousness; Roy almost cowered in her stare.

Murdered? The word hung in the air, swinging back and forward in his in his head. Who would kill the innocent Princess Peach? He gulped, fear creeping further up his spine.

Distant voices suddenly entered Roy's ears. Roy let out a sharp gasp and sat up, glancing out the windows on the other side.

The Smashers were walking towards the bus, carrying bags and what looked like takeaway food. The general panicked clutching at his head,

"B-but if they see you!" he glanced at Peach, eyes wide and strained. The princess' eyes widened realizing what Roy meant. Slowly, the teacup slipped out of her clear, pale fingers, smashing onto the floor,

"Oh dear…" She gasped, glancing down to her hands. A sudden whimper escaped her lips, "That was my favorite cup…."

Meanwhile Roy was running around as if the bus carpet was on fire,

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear –",

"Roy?"

Roy froze. He turned slowly round to the voice of Marth.

Sure enough, the blue-clad prince was standing in the aisle holding a plastic bag accompanied by the rest of the smashers behind him. Roy's eyes clicked to the side and watched as Peach stared at Marth, like he was a giant tea cup or something,

"What are you doing?" Marth inquired slowly, his eyes narrowing. Roy jumped to a halt, arms glues to his sides,

"N-nothing! Nothing at all!"

Marth shook his head slightly lifting the bag,

"We brought some food and stuff for the journey back, you hungry?"

Roy smiled, despite the fact he was dying with nerves inside,

"Yup, starving!"

He watched as the rest of the smashers found their seats, and silently tucked into their food,

"Roy, sit down!" Ike shouted from the front, glowering at the redhead,

"'Kay," Roy shouted back, slowing perching back into his seat.

He slowly turned around expecting to see the glowing stature of an amazed Peach. But instead saw the disappearing stature of the princess. Roy's eyes widened as he saw Peach slowly disappear, the small spores of light absorbing into the air.

Roy stared at the empty seat,

"Roy, what's wrong. You look like you've seen a ghost?" Fox asked. Roy's head spun around,

"Oh, i-it's nothing!" he gave a faltered smile.

_Not anymore anyway…_

He turned back to the deserted seat.

What just happened? Does this mean she's gone for good? Then again he could feel the cool air of before linger. He sat back and stared through the window, although couldn't relax. An image of Peach in her coffin sat in his mind as the bus rumbling down the dusty road.

_**AU**_

_**Yay, two updates in one day, a new record!**_

_**Okay, I've said this already but everything will come together in the next few chapters. More ghostly Peach, ill Zelda, crazy Link ect. **_

_*** Is this his home country? Just checking **_

_**Thanks muchly for reading!**_

_**-Ellie**_


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